Effectiveness of Enhanced Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Group for Borderline Personality Disorder

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) holds the strongest empirical support for the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). However, in Chile-as in much of Latin America-the availability of DBT falls significantly short of meeting patient demand. Despite its demonstrated efficacy, the duration of DBT and its multicomponent structure pose challenges for implementation and dissemination, particularly within public healthcare settings. This study aims to compare the clinical effectiveness of a 12-week DBT skills training group (12w-DBT-ST) with a quasi-standard 6-month DBT program (24w-DBT) and treatment as usual (TAU) for individuals with BPD in routine public mental health services. The primary hypothesis is that 12w-DBT-ST will be equivalent to the quasi-standard 24w-DBT and superior to TAU in reducing suicidal and self-harming behaviors.